Obsessed woman sent ex hundreds of messages over split

Kimberley Barber

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A WOMAN who obsessively called and messaged her ex when they broke up has been given a restraining order.

Dawn Cuthbert, of Wicor Mill Lane, Portchester, began the tirade of messages when he walked out after she had found evidence of him cheating on her.

Fareham Magistrates’ Court heard the pair had just returned from a ‘dream holiday’ in Thailand, where she had forgiven him for the affair, when her ex, Alan Alexander, walked out.

At a previous trial, he estimated she had called him around 1,000 times, sent him 1,000 text messages, left him 50 voicemails and sent him between 50 to 100 emails over three months when they split in November 2013.

Cuthbert appeared in court on Wednesday for sentencing for a charge of harassment.

Prosecutor Alicia Keen said that some of the text messages were abusive and had been triggered by Cuthbert dealing with the relationship breakdown badly.

She said: ‘They had been together for nine years and lived together for four years in the Portsmouth area when the relationship ended.

‘It was Mr Alexander who ended it and it appears that Mrs Cuthbert found it very difficult to deal with.

‘It was a vast amount of text messages and the unrelenting nature of it that brings this charge of harassment.’

At the time of the break up, Mr Alexander, a former Royal Marine, was working for a famous person as a roadie and Cuthbert had been assisting him in that role.

Her defence said that some of the messages had related to outstanding work and that he had entered into dialogue with her on numerous occasions, making the situation worse.

Defending Lynn Roberts said: ‘This was in the context of a nine-year relationship which broke down very quickly, very suddenly.’

She continued: ‘He had begged her for forgiveness.

‘She gave it to him... He was saying “don’t leave me” then he upped and left her.

‘Left her with bills to pay and without any explanation.’

Ms Roberts said that Cuthbert had been married three times and this was the first time she had ever had any complaint made against her and that she had no previous criminal record.

The court heard that 50-year-old Cuthbert was on benefits and that she had bipolar disorder and suffered from depression.

Cuthbert denied the charge of harassment but was found guilty following a trial in Croydon Magistrates’ Court.

Chairwoman of the magistrates Tina Over gave Cuthbert a two-year conditional discharge and a restraining order preventing Cuthbert from contacting Mr Alexander until January 2017.

She was also ordered to pay £620 in court costs and a £15 victim surcharge.